Electric sterilizer for telephones



Dec. 14, 1954 s. BALAKOFSKY 2,697,173

ELECTRIC STERILIZER FOR TELEPHONES Filed Nov. 7, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A III,

IIIIIIIII'III' IN VENTOR ATTORNEY Dec. 14, 1954 s. BALAKOFSKY 2,697,173

ELECTRIC STERILIZER FOR TELEPHONE-S Filed Nov. 7, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Dec. 14, 1954 s. BALAKOFSKY ELECTRIC STERI-LIZER FOR TELEPHONES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 7, 1952 Eli $072551 I 90.2

new: 60 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 2,67,173 ELECTRIC STERILIZER FOR TELEPHONES Sol Balakofsky, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application November 7, 1952, Serial No. 319,319 6 Claims. (Cl. 250-51) of sterilizing tus and the like.

Of the many known schemes for sterilizing apparatus of the type indicated,

tation so that they radiate germicidal rays in the region of 10 to 2000 Angstrorns. These lamps are fitted with vacuum retaining envelopes of quartz or the llke so that these very high frequency waves are able to penetrate the trade-mark Sterilamp. For convenience in manufacture, these lamps are at present made in a s1 m1lar physical form' to that which characterizes high efiiciency tungsten lamps of the type used on automobiles wishbone than in any other direction.

Sterilizers of the prior art which employ germicidal ray lamps have been notably successful in achieving the primary object for which they were devised, but they suffer from certain serious disadvantages when considered in their broader aspect of service to the public.

Some of these prior art devices are actually dangerous to public health for the reason that the ray emanations are not adequately controlled in their application. The germicidal ray is no respector of organisms and will act destructively upon any biological particle with which it can collide. There are many important biological particles within the human anatomy which must not be exposed to germicidal rays and unless the action of a ray lamp is rigidly supervised, preferably by automatic means, will make undesired contact with human organisms while the apparatus is being handled by the public. Prior art germicidal-ray sterilizers do not provide fool-proof or adequate protection against this risk.

It is an object of this invention to provide a germicidal ray sterilizer of the type indicated characterized by means for preventing the rays from being set free while a human agency is handling the apparatus which requires sterilization.

It is a further object to provide a germicidal ray sterilizer characterized by means for projecting a higher density beam of rays upon the subject parts than has heretofore been contemplated in connection with ray lamps of practical design.

It is a still further object to to the respective surfaces to be sterilized, electric power 2,697,173 Patented Dec. 14, 1954 means for energizing said ray sources, first electric switchmg means co-act1ng with predetermlned physical attitudes of said is prevented from functioning in the manner selected by the said second switching means.

One of the most needed applications of these teachings is in connection with the sterilization of telephone hand Fig. 4 depicts an elevational section along lines 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a weight-sensitive switchmg device.

Fig. 6 depicts a cam operated switch forming part of a tlmlng system.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a timer-cam.

Fig. 8 discloses schematically the electrical and mechanical combinations which are characteristlc of one example of construction, and

Fig. 9 shows a variation of the circuit of Fig. 8.

Referring now to these figures, 1 is a housing and 2 and 3 are cavities or chambers designed and positioned to which is intended to rest said housing but without requiring any screwed fixings, switch arms or other devices which might be regarded as interfering with telephone property. When the telephone is in the cradled attitude, the hand-set rests with lecting components nested more or less closely coupled to the rays from lamps 4 and/or 5. This arrangement, up to this point, is similar, except as regards one feature to be later discussed, to other known constructions designed for the same purpose. When the hand set is removed from its cradle, the radiation path of the lamps 4 and 5 is no longer confined agencies, in the interest of public safety, must not be allowed to radiate While the hand set is in use.

employ a Weight sensitive switch which controls the power supply to the ray sources. In some arrangements this switch comes in contact with the weight pressure of a specified part of the hand set when it is cradled and in others, the weight sensitive actuating member of the switch is influenced by a change in weight of the whole apparatus, the weight which sets the switch in one was mentioned earlier in the description concerns the manner of mounting the germicidal ray lamps in the sterlllzing chambers 2 and 3. As noted, these lamps are usually characterized by a coiled filament arranged like a wishbone or hair-pin within the ray transmissive envelope. To obtain the highest possible germicidal ray concentration upon the target, these lamps should be arranged to reside with their hair-pin locus lying on a plane substantially parallel to the average value of the contour of the surface to be sterilized. Whereas it is not diflicult to beam the visible rays from an incandescent filament by means of a polished reflector, the very short wave rays of the germicidal range cannot be reflected by conventional reflectors such as silvered parabolas and the like, so that the positioning of the lamps should be, desirably, arranged to provide the greatest possible concentration of direct radiation as occurs when the ray sources are positioned as now suggested. Heretofore it has not been advisable to position these lamps in this manner for the reason that, should the lamps come into operation accidentally as a result of the behaviours mentioned, the germicidal rays would be beamed in great strength directly into the face of the telephone user, subjecting the latter to the destructive effect of such rays on organic tissue. Frequent or lengthy exposure (beyond a few seconds) to these rays could cause unpleasant and harmful effects such as conjunctivitis of the eye system. This risk is present to a high degree in all prior art arangements of the type indicated and known to the applicant, but this risk would be much greater if prior art devices for sterilizing by germicidal rays were to be arranged with the lamps oriented as now contemplated. With the positive control arrangement of the present invention, risk of unwanted ray bombardment of human tissue is eliminated, so the full capabilities of modern simplified ray lamps can now be fully realized.

It is now evident that the present invention provides not only a safer sterilizing means, but also a more eflicient one, than any previously proposed.

The foregoing description has elucidated an example of construction in accordance with the teachings of the invention, and in various applications and under the urge of expediencies many modifications which lie within the broad spirit of these teachings will occur to those skilled in the art. All such are to be regarded as lying within the ambit of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A germicidal-ray sterilizer comprising a germicidal my source, chamber means enclosing said ray source but including an aperture coacting with a surface to be sterilized, means for positioning the said ray source so that one region of greatest ray concentration lies face toward face with the said surface to be sterilized when the latter is in one of two selective physical attitudes, electric power means for energizing said ray source, first electric switching means having two selective positions corresponding respectively to said two selective attitudes, each said position affording access by said electric power means to one of two channels, second electric switching means including two separate circuit distributors one for each channel, electric motor actuated timer means for successively determining two respective intervals of time during which said two separate circuit distributors are simultaneously caused to dwell in one and then in the other of two conditions, a switch having a predetermined delay-closing characteristic, connections over a first said channel and a first said distributor corresponding to a first position of said first switching means and a first condition of said second switching means for energizing said delayedclosing switch to enable the said electric power means to energize said ray source, connections over a second said channel corresponding to a second position of said first switching means and to a second condition of said second switching means for disabling the said power means from energizing said ray-source, connections common to the load terminal of said delayed switch and a switch connection of said second distributor for enabllng said power means to actuate said timer and after a predetermined dwell to change the said second switching means from its first to its second condition when the said ray sources are energized, and connections from said power means over said second position of said first switching means and over said second condition of said second distributor for energizing said timer to change the said second switching means after a predetermined dwell back from its second to its first condition.

2. A germicidal ray sterilizer of the kind defined by claim 6 wherein the delay in closure of the said delayedclosing switch is predetermined to be greater than the average dwell of the said switching means upon a specified position during any specified interval of oscillation of the switch between its two positions.

3. A germicidal-ray sterilizer comprising a germicidal ray source, chamber means enclosing said ray source but including an aperture coacting with a surface to be sterilized to concentrate thereupon rays from said source when the said surface lies in one of two selective physical attitudes, electric power means for energizing said ray source, first electric switching means having two selective positions corresponding respectively to said two selective attitudes, each said position affording access by said electric power means to one of two channels, second electric switching means including circuit distributors one for each channel, timer means for sequentially positioning said distributors in one and then in another of two conditions, a switch having a predetermined delay-closing characteristic, connections over a first said channel and one distributor corresponding to a first position of said first switching means and a first condition of said second switching means for energizing said delayed closing switch enabling said electric power means to energize said ray source, connections over a second channel corresponding to a second position of said first switching means and to a second condition of said second switching means for disabling said power means from energizing said ray source, interlocking electric circuit means between said delayed switch and said second distributor for enabling the said power means to actuate said timer and after a dwell to change the said second switching means from its first to a second condition when the said my sources are energized, and circuit connections interlocking said first position of said switching means and said second condition of said second distributor for energizing said timer to change the second switching means slowly back from its second to its first condition.

4. A construction as defined in claim 3, wherein the said first electric switching means comprises a weight sensitive spring loaded contactor which changes to its second position when a weight corresponding to the mass associated with the said surface to be sterilized is removed from the mass which normally restrains the said switch in its first position.

5. A construction in accordance with claim 3, wherein the said timer comprises a motor driven cam-switch, the various delays in circuit change being determined by the positions of detents upon the cam face and upon a pre determined speed of rotation of said cam.

6. A construction as defined by claim 3, wherein the delay in the closing of said delayed-closing switch is predetermined to be greater than a specified interval between changes in the condition of said first switching means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

